Mary Jane Cronin (November Mourning) will sign and discuss her book about parents coping with the death of a child at 4 p.m. Friday at Hospice of the Florida Suncoast's Garden House, 5771 Roosevelt Blvd., Clearwater.

Author and tutor Eliot Schrefer will discuss his new book Hack the SAT and present a Q&A on the SAT at 2 p.m. today at Countryside Library, 2741 State Road 580, Clearwater. The event is free.

Upcoming events

Applications are being accepted from book market vendors for the 2008 St. Petersburg Times Festival of Reading, which will be Oct. 25 at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg. For applications, go to www.festivalofreading.com or call Marisol Quiles at (727) 892-2947.

To place an item in Book Talk, send author's name, book title, appearance time, date, venue name and address and a contact phone number to cbancroft@sptimes.com or Colette Bancroft, St. Petersburg Times, 490 First Ave. S, St. Petersburg FL 33701. Deadline is 14 days before publication.